CHICAGO (AP) - The Illinois State Board of Education is planning to transform third- to eighth-grade state exams, aiming to shorten the tests, get results faster and switch to a format that adjusts the difficulty of test questions.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam has had issues since its launch in 2015.

School officials criticized the long hours of the tests. Complaints from parents led to an opt-out movement that kept students from getting tested.

The state has pulled the exam from the roster of high school assessments following complaints from administrators who say the exams took away from instruction. Any changes to the exam won't affect high schools.

Superintendents and school testing officials say they're glad to see changes in the PARCC exams.